Sealing machine



Sept. 7, 1937.

M. A. STICELBER 2,092,144

SEALING MACHINE Filed July 23, 1954 INVENTOR,

ATTORNEYS.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SEALING MACHINE Merlin A. Sticelber, Kansas City, Mo., assiznor of fifty per cent to William Stoneman, Jr., Kansas City, Mo.

Application July 23, 1934, Serial No. 736,563

10 Claims.

This invention relates to scaling machines of the character adapted forcombination with wrapping machines wherein a package is sealed through the medium of a hot wax seal that is normally createdby passing some of the overlapped portions of the wrapper over heated ele-- ments so that melting of the wax takes place, and the primary object of this invention is the provision of that part of the entire wrapping machine assembly which cools the seal, thereby hardening the wax to cause the overlapped portions of the paper to be held tightly together.

One important aim of this invention is to provide efiective, durable, and novel means for performing the functions contemplated to the end that a positive and solid seal is made.

it yet further aim of the invention is to com bine with a wrapping machine of the aforementioned character, a sealing machine having as a a part thereof, a refrigerating apparatus which serves to cool certain parts of the sealing machine in a way that will constantly present cooling elements for the hot seals of the packages passing through the said machine.

3 Minor objects of this invention will appear during the course of the specification, referring to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a sealing machine embodying this invention and combined with a l wrapping machine of conventional type.,

Fig. 2 is a vertical, cross section through the sealing machine taken on line IIII of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a diagrammatical view illustrating one embodiment of the refrigerating apparatus which i is used to cool the sealing machine elements, and, Fig. 4 is an enlarged, sectional, detailed view of the accumulation chamber forming a part of the continuous cooling coils.

Heretofore wrapping machines have been equipped with many different means for cooling the hot seal. These means include the use of moisteners, blasts of air, and vats of water. All of these forms of coolers are well known, but have not given satisfaction to the extent that i a desirable cooling of the seal takes place as rapidly as required by the industry.

This invention provides means for supplying" of the paper are heated by hot plates 8 which form a part of the conventional type wrapping machine, not here shown. From this wrapping machine the package is fed into the sealing machine which comprises a relatively stationary metal base plate It) and a pair of opposed, vertical plates l2 that are supported by brackets H which,

in turn, are mounted upon screw shafts it so that when said shafts are turned, the right and left screw threads formed thereon will'move the 10 brackets l4 and associated vertical plates I2 toward and from each other over the upper surface of base plate l0.

Vertical plates I2 contact the ends of the wrapp d package I8, while the same is moved along base plate ill. It is the intention that the melted wax on the wrapper of package l8 will at once become hardened, thereby to seal the package and to accomplish this end, plates l0 and I2 are uniquely and effectively chilled by refrigeration.

The refrigerating apparatus forming a part of this sealing machine is of the type shown diai grammatically in Fig. 3. The same consists of a compressor 20, which acts to force the refrigerant through the attenuated tubing which is positioned where the heat exchange will be most efiective. -Pipes 22 form the coils to refrigerate base plate Ill and these pipes are welded directly to the under side of plate 10. Pipes form the coils to refrigerate vertical -plates l2 and, likewise, these pipes 24 are rigidly aflixed directlyto the outer sides of plates l2. As shown in Fig. 2, these pipes are insulated by embedding them in an insulating material 26 which is confined about tubes 22 and 24, as the case may be, by a housing member made of wood or analogous insulating material. In the case of pipes 24, the box-like housing 28 combines with plates l2 to form the complete box wherein pipes 24 are confined. In the case of pipes 22, a similar box-like structure 30 confines pipes 22 so that the refrig erating action upon plate I0 is made positive.

- Thus when a package I8 is in position and moving along between plates I2 and upon plate ii), there is a frictional engagement which positively insures that a chilling efiect will be had.

In some instances ,the refrigerating efi'ect upon plates l0 and I2 is required to'be intense enough to create'a coating of ice 32 along the side of the plates contacted by the package, and when such coating is maintained, a most efiective and eflicient, quick sealing action is afforded.

The length of plates l0 and I2 when using the refrigerating apparatus in accordancewith this invention is relatively short and .the package being sealed will invariably be secure and will not necessistate re-wrapping as is oftentimes the case where cooling devices of the character hereinbefore mentioned are employed.

In order that adjustment might take place, connecting tubes 34 and 36, which join pipes 22 and 2d and, in turn, pipes 2d of one vertical plate with the similar pipe of the opposite vertical plate, respectively, are made flexible.

An accumulation chamber in the form of a cylinder 38 interposed in the continuous series of pipes forming the various coils, is located where pipe 30 leads the refrigerant back to compressor 20. Pipe Q directly connects cylinder 38 and the compressor and this construction insures that a warm and ineffective refrigerant is introduced from the system to the compressor 26 for re-cycling.

Any suitable refrigerant may be employed and the sizeof compressor 20 may be altered to suit conditions, and while there is always means for arresting the action of compressor 20 when a predetermined pressure is created, this invention contemplates the use of any type of regulating device which may be actuated by the temperature of plates ill or I2 to suit conditions.

An example of a regulating device mentioned above is in'the form of a mercury bulb thermostat having the mercury container thereof clamped to the coils or plates at any suitable place as at 50 and joined to the thermostat by a tube 52. Thermostat 50 causes movement of electrical contact 54 through an expansion and contraction of the mercury in the unit, to and from stationary contact member 56 whereby to start and stop the motor of compressor 20 as the temperature at the mercury bulb varies. When these contacts are closed, the circuit for compressor 20 is closed from line 58 to wire 60, closed contact points 54 and 56, wire 62, compressor 20, wire 64 and thence back to line 68.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A sealing machine of the character described comprising means for receiving wrapped packages, having' hot wax seals, as they are moved along a path of travel; relatively stationary chilling plates frictionally contacting the hot wax seals as the packages are moving along the said path of travel; and means for subjecting the plates to the action of a refrigerant at suiiiciently low temperature to maintain a layer of ice thereon, the same comprising coils of pipe afilxed to the said plates adapted to receive the refrigerant.

2. A sealing machine of the character described comprising means for receiving wrapped packages, having hot wax seals, as they are moved along a path of travel; relatively stationary chilling plates frictionally contacting the hot wax seals as the packages are moving along the said path of travel, and means for subjecting the plates to the action of a refrigerant to constantly chill the same, comprising chambers formed along one side of the plates; means for circulating a refrigerant through said chambers at sufficiently low temperature to maintain a layer of ice on the sealing faces thereof; and means for stopping the flow of refrigerant through said chambers when the temperature of the plates reaches a predetermined point.

3. A sealing machine of the character described adapted to receive wrapped packages, having hot wax seals, as they are moved along a path of travel, comprising a relatively stationary chilling plate in juxtaposition with the hot wax seals as the packages are moving along the said path of travel; a coil contacting said plate; and means for circulating a refrigerant through said coils at sufficiently low temperature to maintain a layer of ice on the sealing face of said plate, said hot wax seals in motion along said plate being in frictional contact with the layer of ice.

4. A sealing machine of the character described adapted to receive wrapped packages,

surface of said coils and the corresponding sides of said plates to confine heat exchange to the said plate and that portion of the coils contacted thereby.

5. A sealing machine of the character described adapted to receive wrapped packages, having hot wax seals, as they are moved along a path of travel comprising a coil of pipe adjacent the respective seals; a housing for said coil respectively including a box-like enclosure having a metal plate forming one side thereof and secured to the pipes of the coil, the remaining sides of said enclosure being of heat insulating material, and a filling of fibrous heat insulating substance within the box-like enclosure, between the coil and said remaining sides; and means for supplying a refrigerant to said coil at sufficiently low temperature to maintain a layer of ice on said metal plate in position to engage the hot wax seals.

6. A sealing machine of the character described comprising means for receiving wrapped packages, having hot wax seals, as they are moved along a path of travel; a relatively stationary chilling plate in juxtaposition with the hot wax seals as the packages are moving along the said path of travel; and refrigerating means acting upon one side of the plate at sufliciently low temperature to maintain a layer of iceon the other or sealing side of the plate to contact the hot seals as the packages are moving along the plates.

7. In combination with a wrapping machine having a plate for cooling the seals of the packages passing through the machine; a pipe coil; a refrigerant in said coil, said coil being in contact with said plate to permit action upon the latter by the refrigerant, said refrigerant being at sufficiently low temperature to maintain a layer of ice on the exposed side of said plate; means for circulating a refrigerant through the coil to maintain a predetermined temperature at the plate; and means governable by the varying temperature of said plate for regulating the flow of refrigerant through said coil.

8. In combination with a wrapping machine a predetermined range and flexible sections'in said coil to permit adjustment of the side plates as refrigerant is passing through the coil.

9. A sealing machine of the character described adapted to receive wrapped packages, having hot wax seals as they are moved along a path of travel, comprising a pair of side plates movable for adjustment transversely to the path of travel of the packages; a stationary base plate beneath the side plates; a continuous coil having sections thereof rigidly aflixed to the said respective plates, and flexible sections interconnecting the said affixed sections to permit relative adjustment of the side plates as refrigerant is passing therethrough; and means for supplying a refrigerant to the coil.

10. A sealing machine of the character described adapted to receive wrapped packages, having hot wax seals as they are moved along a path of travel, comprising a pair of side plates movable for adjustment transversely to the path of travel of the packages; a stationary base plate beneath the side plates; a continuous coil having sections thereof afilxed to the said respective plates and flexible sections interconnecting the said aflixed sections to permit adjustment of the plates as refrigerant is passing therethrough; and insulating means partly embedding the coil sections aflixed to the said plates.

MERLIN A. STICELBER. 

